How 'RHONJ' Star Margaret Josephs Girlbossed Her Way to Fortune

She may be the richest New Jersey housewife.

Margaret Josephs joined The Real Housewives of New Jersey already established in business—and with a sizable net worth. Her company, the Macbeth Collection, made her one of Country Living’s Entrepreneurs of the Year in 2007—a full decade before she became a Housewife.

Josephs was born to Hungarian immigrants, according to NJ.com. She calls herself a "powerhouse in pigtails,” using the girlish hairdo in promotional materials for both her business and for RHONJ. She became a stay-at-home mom in 1996, but wound up starting a business in 1999. Josephs spun decoupaging buckets from Home Depot into a million-dollar business. Read on to learn all about Margaret Josephs, her business, her lawsuits, net worth and her role on The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

What is Margaret Josephs’ net worth?

Margaret Josephs has been ranked as the richest of the New Jersey Housewives, with the South China Morning Post valuing her at $50 million. However Celebrity Net Worth estimates she is worth $5 million, which would put her below Jennifer Aydin at $11 million.

So what is the truth? It is difficult to say. Margaret Josephs and her husband Joseph Beningo live a lavish lifestyle, with a completely renovated home and busy travel schedule. However, they have been the subject of multiple lawsuits about failure to pay off debts. According to The Sun, Josephs was sued in 2019 by Capital One Bank for $12,172.86 in missed payments, in 2018 for $3,568.73 in unpaid legal bills, and in 2022 for $180,000 in unpaid settlements from a foreclosure lawsuit.

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How much does Margaret Josephs make on The Real Housewives of New Jersey?

Margaret Josephs' exact salary is not known, but we can make some inferences based on the reported salaries of her castmates. Teresa Giudice, who has been on RHONJ since its inception, reportedly makes $1.1 million per season. Dolores Catania, who joined the cast a year before Josephs, is reported to make between $30,000 and $60,000 an episode. Josephs likely falls somewhere in that range as well, perhaps a little lower due to Catania's comparative seniority on the cast.

That is still a comfortable salary for a Housewife. According to The Things, some Housewives make as little as $6,500 an episode. Housewives get raises as they stay on TV for longer, and Josephs is entering her sixth season as a Bravolebrity.

How much does her business, Macbeth Collection, make?

Unlike many Housewives who spin their reality TV stardom into branding opportunities (looking at you, Bethenny Frankel), Margaret Josephs came into RHONJ with a successful apparel and home goods brand. Josephs started the Macbeth Collection in 1999. Josephs told the Country Living that she started the brand in part to spite those who told her she could not: “The minute someone says to me, 'You can't do that,' I determine to find 27 ways that I can! For me, business is all about passion. If you feel strongly about something, you should run with it. One of the hottest items in my line is a clipboard that I was told would never sell. That made me crazy! I've sold 25,000 of them this year.”

By 2012, CNN had valued the Macbeth Collection at $26 million. However, her brand was somewhat diminished when Vineyard Vines won a trademark infringement lawsuit against Macbeth Collection. Per Women’s Wear Daily, Vineyard Vines filed the suit in 2014, asking for $12 million in damages. Although Vineyard Vines won the suit in 2015, Josephs was only ordered to pay $300,000. Josephs only paid around half. In 2018, Josephs was ordered to pay the remaining $110,000 of the 2014 settlement, plus $500,000 in additional damages. She was also ordered to pay Vineyard Vines’ court fees.

Does Margaret Josephs have any other revenue streams?

Besides her RHONJ salary and retail business, Margaret Josephs brings in money as an author. Her book, Caviar Dreams, Tuna Fish Budget: How to Survive in Business and Life, is a spinoff of her podcast by the same name. The podcast releases twice weekly, with ad revenue coming in at the same schedule.

Like many of her fellow Bravolebrities, Margaret Josephs is on Cameo. She exclusively films cameos with her husband Joe. Their combined rate is $199 a video. You can also get videos from Joe alone, which are only $50 per clip.

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Does Margaret Josephs own property?

Fans of The Real Housewives of New Jersey know well the saga of Margaret Josephs and her husband’s home renovation. The pair held Margaret’s birthday in the unfurnished shell of a $1.8 million mansion. Little did the cast know at the time of filming, but that house was about to be in foreclosure. Page Six reported that Melissa and Joe took out mortgages on the property and the one next door, and that their bank was seeking to “recover possession of both of the said premises.”

Those foreclosure proceedings were settled, but not without the couple having to pay. The Sun reported that Melissa Josephs still had $180,000 left to pay in 2022. Meanwhile, the house has been fully renovated and redecorated. Josephs showed it off to Bravo in 2021, saying that updating a "115-year-old house isn’t like building a new house. I had a feeling it was gonna take a while. I mean, not this long." Josephs said her end goal was for the house to look like "a rock and roll hotel,” something she feels she has achieved.